Ask an Attorney: What Type of Lawyer Do I Need?

Hiring an attorney can be a daunting task. How do you choose one? How do you know what type of lawyer to hire? What’s it like to work with an attorney and how do you know what’s expected of you? These are all questions you’re likely to have while browsing the website of an attorney, but don’t worry—we’re here to help.

Every firm’s site is filled with the same, boastful claims and pages and pages of legal speak that aren’t immediately useful. What’s useful? Answers. Real answers. Every two weeks roughly, we’ll be posting a common question a client new to the legal world might have, and we’ll provide real, honest answers to that question.

This week we’re going over another basic question that anyone who browses a few legal firm websites may find themselves wondering: How do I know what type of lawyer to hire?

There are a lot of different types of lawyers out there. Each type of lawyer or attorney specializes in a very different area of the law, whether it be business law, medical law, labor laws, financial law, intellectual property law, tax law, family law, estate law, criminal defense law, traffic law, or personal injury law. The legal world is immensely complicated, so having all of these different practice areas lets attorneys focus on the areas that matter most to them. Consequently, it also helps those in need find the right lawyer.

A lawyer who’s passionate about helping families out of troubled times, for example, may find themselves compelled to practice family law. This lets them directly help families handle custody battles, prenuptial agreements, divorces, and other issues surrounding families and children. A lawyer who’s passionate about helping innocent men and women who have been wrongfully convicted may find themselves in criminal defense law. Most lawyers and attorneys feel a strong connection to the areas they specialize in. This makes perfect sense given that the legal profession exists to help those in need.

A personal injury lawyer like all of the attorneys at Thomas Law Offices chooses to specialize in personal injury to help people who have been in terrible car accidents or received serious injuries. Personal injury lawyers help victims get back on their feet again by going after negligent drivers, insurance providers, drug companies, corporations, and product manufacturers that may not be properly prioritizing the health and safety of others. Louisville, KY personal injury lawyer Tad Thomas and his team feel that they can do the most amount of good by giving injured victims a voice to speak against groups they would never get a chance to otherwise speak against.

Within personal injury law there exist many co-specializations. These include but are not limited to accident law, product liability law, medical malpractice law, and wrongful death law. Most personal injury lawyers choose the types of cases that interest them the most and focus on those cases. Many of these specializations also include some of the most complicated legal cases that ever reach trial. Product liability and medical malpractice cases, for instance, can be extremely complicated and it may take years before a group of plaintiffs receives a verdict. These cases can also be some of the most worthwhile, however, especially when a wrong is righted or a corporation responds by taking a harmful product off the shelves.

If you were injured or harmed in any type of accident or by a drug or product that should not have harmed you in that way, you will want to seek out a personal injury lawyer. If you were harmed at a hospital and feel you were wrongfully treated, you will want to search for a personal injury lawyer. Personal injury law encompasses a wide range of areas. Take a look at our firm’s full range of practice areas for an example of the areas many personal injury lawyers cover.

Finally, if you’re in the Louisville area, don’t forget to give our office a call. We’re more than happy to answer any questions you may have—big or small.